Developer Updates / FAQ (Please read before posting)

At Guerrilla Games we like to keep you guys up-to-date with the latest information about our game, particularly online multiplayer, and any ongoing problems or issues that the community finds.

Below you’ll see a list of issues, topics, and problems that have been identified by the community and what we at GG are going to do about them. In this post we hope to answer some of your concerns, address specific problems, as well as explain some of the design choices we have made since Killzone 2, and everything else in between.

This post will grow and change over time so don’t be surprised if not everything you guys have found appears on this list straight away, it’ll take time to compile everything into one central place.

Re: Developer Updates / FAQ (Please read before posting)

Guerrilla Warfare matches are too short!Agreed. We are currently playtesting new time and kill limits. These changes will make it out in a patch sometime soon.

Custom games.Custom games are returning, although not exactly as they were in KZ2. Two separate updates will be arriving to allow custom games. The first will provide the base functionality, such as

- Custom game modes and settings.- Secure games allowing you to invite the players you want to play with.- Faction switching.

The second update will give more much more functionality, some examples include

- More control over games modes and settings.- Toggling on and off functionality, such as ribbons, skills, explosives, etc.

- Selecting which careers you want available to players.- Allow friendly fire to be turned on or off.

As well as a few other features. More details to follow.

Preorder and unlock voucher codes aren’t working correctly.Investigations are currently ongoing into the issues relating to unlock/pre order bonuses.

Repeated Blood Gracht & Salamun Market matches.We’ve already identified the cause of this problem, it is related to the ‘ANY” map selection preference, and we should be able to get a fix out soon in one of upcoming patches. In the meantime if you get trapped repeatedly playing either Blood Gracht or Salamun Market, you can quit your game, then within Find Match > Map Selection, choose a non DLC map. The game will place you into the map you have selected when you attempt to join a game, and once your match is finished, map voting will happen as normal and you can vote on whatever map you wish. We understand this isn’t an ideal solution and will try and get this resolved a.s.a.p.

UPDATED: Developer Updates / FAQ (Please read before posting)

on ‎03-10-201103:50 PM - last edited on ‎03-11-201105:29 PM by MusterBuster

Update to the FAQ:

Q. When does the next Patch hit?

We don’t know, we’ll let you know as soon as we know.

Q. What is in the next Patch?

We don’t know, we’ll let you know as soon as we know.

Q. Why is my favorite fix not in the next patch?

We try to get as much in and give it to you as soon as possible. Some things require more testing and coding than others, which means it gets patched in later. So some low priority small fixes might get done quicker than a high priority (but complex) fix.

Q. Where are custom games and why isn't it out now?

A. We're working on delivering you a solid experience, and we're currently in the process of testing the custom games functionality as we speak. It will be split up into two separate patches. The first release will give you the base functionality, allowing you to select game modes, map playlists, adjust time settings, invite specific players, etc. The second release will give you enhanced control, allowing you to restrict which weapons and abilities players can select, what careers they can choose, turn friendly-fire on or off, etc.

Q. When, when, when!?

Soon, but we have no fixed sate yet

Q. Will spawning on squadmates and spawn grenades make their way into Killzone 3?

A. No, they will not be making it into Killzone 3. The mechanics conflicted with elements of our game, and since they led to negative gameplay experiences, we decided to remove them as they were.

Q. Why can't I use EXOs and Jetpacks in every map?

A. We wanted to create unique experiences which the Jetpacks and EXOs.

Just sticking them in any random map led to some very frustrating, and broken, gameplay moments. The maps you use them in were custom-tailored to how they worked, while the other maps were custom-tailored to other gameplay focuses. Our aim wasn't just to create visually distinct locations in each map, but it was also to create a set of diverse gameplay experiences in each of them making each one of them unique when compared to another.

Q. What is your win/loss ratio?

A. This leaderboard stat is currently looking at the wrong formula to determine the W/L ratio. will be fixed.

Q: I'm playing the same DLC level over and over againA: We're working on fixing this behavior. However when you have a map pack installed 50% of the games you play should be in the non DLC levels, so if you end up in a DLC map and you want to be playing the normal levels then just back out and find another game. Also you can select another map as your preference.

Q: SESSION MASTER NOT AVAILABLE shows on screen, the game freezes and then I get banned.A: This should be fixed in patch 1.04.

Q: I get network errors 10002 or -931 when logging in.A: This is a network timeout error. Most likely there is something wrong with your connection. If you're connecting wireless, please try wired. If you can't connect wired then try disabling encryption on the connection to see if that improves behavior (make sure you turn it on afterwards). In the XMB run the connection test to see if you can log into PSN. The errors also occur when the servers are down for maintenance, usually this doesn't last longer than an hour and any maintenance is announced on killzone.com.

Q: I get network error 8001, 8013 or 1503 during gameplay or during login.

A: Patch 1.04 should fix these issues. There could be something wrong with your connection. If you're connecting wireless, please try wired. If you can't connect wired then try disabling encryption on the connection to see if that improves behavior (make sure you turn it on afterwards). In the XMB run the connection test to see if you can log into PSN.

A: My game is lagging (may also be accompanied by SESSION MASTER NOT AVAILABLE on screen)A: There multiple potential causes. Please make sure that you have selected the correct region to play in first (in the multiplayer main menu go to options). There is a bug in the match making system which causes 10% of the games to end up in the wrong region (will be fixed in patch 1.04). Also if there are no active players in your region the game will redirect you to another region which can cause extra lag. Finally there is also the possibility that your router is causing the issues. If you're connecting wireless, please try wired. If you can't connect wired then try disabling encryption on the connection to see if that improves behavior (make sure you turn it on afterwards). In the XMB run the connection test to see if you can log into PSN.

Q: When starting a match the game is unable to process your scores (error -9, -2 or -5) or unable to view leaderboards / create a clan (error 20000)A: All known causes of this will be fixed in patch 1.04.

Q: I'm receiving a world is full error (error -948)A: We're currently investigating this issue. The error is misleading the text should read 'game is full'. If you receive this error then please try finding a game again. If the problem persists go to another game mode or select another map in your map preferences.

Q: I get stuck in the 'connecting...' screen after loading a level for a very long time (possibly hearing headset chatter).A: Patch 1.04 should fix most issues. We are still looking into a problem where this occurs when joining during map rollover. In the mean time: If you get this screen for more than 30 seconds then please use the cancel option to go back and find another game.

Q: I'm receiving an essential game objects lost message (error 10006)A: This happens when the last person has just left the game while you were joining. Please try again, this error should only occur very sporadically.

Q: I'm experiencing freezes in multiplayer during game playA: We're investigating these issues. Most of the issues should be fixed with patch 1.04

Q: I'm playing in a clan match and when the other clan leaves I have to sit out the entire match before I get the winA: This will be fixed in a future patch.

Q: I invite someone to my squad but his message gets lost (due to a network error for example), now I cannot invite him againA: This will be fixed in a future patch.

We are investigating people that still have double XP unlocked. These are very rare, but that makes it hard to track down. Note your region, PSN ID and exact problem (unlock all, double XP) in the thread linked to above.

Q: I'm at rank X and Y has not been unlocked (extra armour, silent footsteps, ...)A: This will be fixed in a future patch.

Q: Multiplayer games are unbalancedA: This will be improved in future maintenance and patches.

Q: In singleplayer the voice audio is repeating (most notable in Pyrrhus Outskirts)A: This will be fixed in a future patch.

Q: The score board is flickering at the end of the matchA: Will be fixed in a future patch

Q: I'm experiencing freezes when the game is loading a map

Q: I'm experiencing freezes in single player while playing movies

Q: I cannot start KZ3 because the icon does not appear in the XMB.

A: This is a hardware issue. There might be issues with your blu ray drive. KZ3 is one of the few games that use a dual layer blu ray. Please contact Sony support.

Re: UPDATED: Developer Updates / FAQ (Please read before posting)

on ‎03-11-201109:28 AM - last edited on ‎03-14-201101:40 PM by MusterBuster

3D Q&A

We added this to the 3D thread, but there is no reason not to add it here as well:

What is ghosting?

Ghosting is caused by limitations of the TV hardware. Killzone 3 renders two separate images for the left and the right eye and these are displayed on the TV in quick succession. These images alternate so quickly that when you look at the screen without 3D glasses you see one fuzzy image (a blend of the left and the right eye images). Your 3D glasses make sure that your left eye sees the one image and your right eye sees the other image. Ghosting can occur when the TV isn't able to switch quickly and cleanly enough between the different colors in these images. For example, when a pixel is black in the left eye image and the same pixel is white in the right eye image, ghosting is more likely to occur (than when both pixels are different shades of grey). This is simply because the pixel can't change color fast enough on some TV models. We found that there are great differences between TV models in this respect, unfortunately.

3D strength (Killzone 3 setting)

You can tone down the 3D effect (and the ghosting) by setting the "3D strength" slider to a lower value (this slider is in the "3D setup" sub-menu, which is found in the "Options" menu). We found that it works best if you tweak this setting until the barrel of your gun displays correctly. Note: this setting does not affect the pre-rendered cut-scenes.

Display settings on your TV

Since ghosting is contrast-related (high contrast and brightness means more difference between black and white, so potentially more ghosting between left and right eye, usually at the edges of an object - for example: you are in a dark room looking out of a window at a bright sky). So it might help to tweak the display settings on your TV: a lower brightness and contrast on your TV 's display settings might reduce ghosting.

It might also help if you disable all image processing options on your TV. Some TV's have a "game mode" that does exactly this. Using the "game mode" on your TV has the added benefit of reducing input-lag (the time between pressing a button and seeing the effect on screen).

3D settings on your TV

Some TV's have special 3D settings, such as "3D brightness". This particular setting relates to the 3D (shutter) glasses and controls the amount of light that passes through the glasses (it has nothing to do with the brightness of your TV display). We found that this setting should be set to "high" (bright).

The thing is: if your glasses block a lot of light, then you'll be inclined to turn up the brightness of your TV. So, the bottomline is: make sure your glasses are set to the brightest setting, so your TV can be set to a somewhat lower brightness & contrast setting.

Some TV's have an option to tweak the 3D image specifically. This setting is best set to neutral, unless you have a really big screen and need to reduce the 3D depth further than Killzone's "3D Strength" setting allows.

Distance

During demo's and testing we've found that the distance between your eyes and the TV screen can also be a factor. In general, artifacts like ghosting become less disturbing when you sit farther away from the TV.

Polarized glasses

Some manufactures have polarized glasses. This means that you must keep your head upright. Whenever you tilt your head (sideways) you will lose the image separation between left and right eye and the overall result is a fuzzy image without depth.

HDMI cables

As long as your HDMI cable supports HDMI 1.4/High Speed HDMI, we don't think that buying more expensive HDMI cables will reduce ghosting. See the explanation "What is ghosting?" above. Most people will have a relatively short HDMI cable between their PS3 and their TV, so a normal cable should be fine.

HUD (Killzone 3 setting)

This is unrelated to ghosting, and it's a matter of taste, but we thought we'd mention it anyway: Most people find that Killzone 3 looks better in 3D if you turn off the HUD elements (ammo counter, on-screen prompts, etc.). You can find this setting in the Display sub-menu in the Options menu. Of course this affects gameplay: for example, you will no longer be prompted to press a button to pick up a weapon, open a door, mount a machine gun, etc.

A: Please use the Grief Report option on the scoreboard. To open the scoreboard, press [SELECT] from the spawn screen or during a match. Then select the player and press [SQUARE] to open the menu containing the Grief Report option.

Q: My games are not filling up. What do I do about it?

A: Please be patient. The match-making will eventually fill the game again automatically.

Q: Why aren't custom games ranked?

A: Custom games are unranked to prevent people from exploiting them to climb the leaderboards. To rise in rank, you'll have to prove your mettle against random opponents.

Q: Will you fix the freezing glitch?

A: We're currently testing a fix for this and expect to release it with patch 1.11 on or around July 15th.

No, we do not have any plans to support two Move players in co-op mode.

Q: Will you fix the constant 'game data' errors on the website?

We are close to a solution, but implementing it will require an update to the website which may take some time.

Q: Will you fix the Friends Leaderboards on the website?

We are close to a solution, but implementing it will require an update to the website which may take some time.

Q: Will you fix the vanishing points/medals error?

We are currently investigating reports of this error.

Q: Will your nerf the Marksman/Tactician?

A: We are looking into possible tweaks, but since they affect the complete game design it is not likely we will patch anything on a short term.

Q: Are you looking at any other gameplay tweaks or changes?

A: We are constantly trying out different tweaks to weapons, game modes and character classes. If these changes improve the balancing and do not affect the game in any negative way we will consider patching it in following careful internal playtesting.